How to teach a dog to swim?

Believe me, the opportunity to cool off on a hot day and catch the ball in the water is paradise for any dog ​​(with rare exceptions). But in order for everything to go according to plan, it is necessary to take into account a number of nuances. More about them in our article.
1. Choose a safe pond! Not all reservoirs are suitable for swimming, and dogs are not allowed to bathe on the equipped city beaches. How to be? The best option is a pond or lake with a small calm current and a gentle coast. Contrary to popular belief, small reservoirs with stagnant water are not suitable for the role of a “pet” pool: there are a large number of parasites carried by waterfowl.
2. Train your dog to swim gradually. If your dog has never swum, do not in any way drag it into the water forcibly and, especially, do not throw it into the water. Otherwise, your dog will simply start to be afraid of the reservoirs (and everything connected with them). Familiarity with water should be smooth. Start with unhurried walks along the coast, so that the dog has the opportunity to explore the territory. Then take it with a game, throw the ball first on land, and then gradually moving to the water. Enter the pond by the ankles or knees, continue the game. Gradually, the dog will be convinced that the water does not threaten it, and will quietly follow you.
3. When your four-legged friend learns to fearlessly drench his paws in water, start throwing the toy away into the water, prompting the dog to swim behind it. Knowledge of the team “Aport” will be a good advantage! Gradually increase the throw distance.
4. For playing on the water, use special non-sluggish toys for dogs from safe non-toxic material (frisbee, Petstages Orka balls, Petstages Dogwood sticks, aportirovki kong Safestix). Children’s toys and other objects not intended for playing with a dog are absolutely not suitable for this role! Read more about this in the article “What kind of toys does a dog need?”.
Games with a dog on the water
5. Remember, every pet is an individual. One dog can have fun throwing into the water immediately, even if it came to the water for the first time in life, and the other one will need more time to get familiar with water procedures. There are individuals, for example, Shar Pei, who most often do not tolerate bathing, and this quality simply needs to be accepted. Do not force the dog to swim, if it categorically does not show interest in this. Find another interesting activity – fortunately there are plenty of them!
6. Do not forget to encourage your pet for its success. When a dog fearlessly enters the water or brings you a toy out of the water, treat it with a treat.
7. If you swim with your dog, throw toys in the direction of travel so that the pet keeps ahead of you and is in your field of vision.
8. Control the time spent in water: nobody canceled overcooling even in summer! On average, the dog is not recommended to bathe for more than 15 minutes, especially when the water temperature is below 20 ° C.
9. After swimming in the sea, the dog’s coat must be rinsed with fresh water.
10. Having finished the water procedures, wipe the dog thoroughly, dry it and then go back.
These simple rules will help to make your camping comfortable and safe!

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